Category: Historical Fiction

Ann Moore brings to life the haunting beauty of nineteenth-century Ireland and its tumultuous, heartbreaking history in the first novel of her critically acclaimed trilogy

Gracelin’s father, Patrick, named her for the light of the sea that shone in her eyes. But joy and laughter leave the O’Malley clan when Gracelin is six-and-a-half and tragedy befalls the family. Less than a decade later, Gracelin must put her romantic dreams aside and marry a local landowner, the son of an English lord, to save her loved ones from financial ruin. Although she is a dutiful wife to capricious Bram Donnelly, Gracelin takes dangerous risks. With political violence sweeping through Ireland and the potato blight destroying lives, she secretly sides with the Young Irelanders, among them her brilliant brother, Sean, and the rebel leader Morgan McDonagh.

Set against the rise of the Irish rebellion, with a cast of unforgettable characters led by the indomitable eponymous heroine, Gracelin O’Malley weaves a spellbinding story of courage, hope, and passion.

Many readers have already met, and embraced, Gracelin O’Malley. In this novel, they will follow her across the ocean to a new world….Hopeful for a better life for herself and her young daughter, Grace leaves behind her beloved Irish homeland and sails for America. But even as she tries to find her place in her new home, she cannot outrun the haunting choices of her past. Her infant son, too sick to make the crossing, remains in Ireland, and as the months pass, Grace becomes desperate for news. As she struggles to adapt to Manhattan and the harsh reality of immigrant life, she reunites with a man she once misjudged. With his help, Grace finds the courage to take a stand against the corruption and injustice around her-but her brave actions threaten the very people she swore to protect.

From the award-winning author of the acclaimed Gracelin O’Malley comes the breathtaking tale of a young mother’s journey from her homeland to a new life in America.

Ann Moore was born in Burford, England, and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in English and, after the birth of her son, got her Masters. After her daughter was born, Ann began writing GRACELIN O’MALLEY, the first book of a trilogy that takes place during the 1845 Famine, the Young Irelander movement, and the mass emigration to America. In between novels, Ann was noted by the Chicago Tribune’s Nelson Algren Award for her short story, ‘A Long Time Getting to Know You.’ Published internationally, with glowing reviews and a devoted readership, the GRACELIN novels have also just been released as ebooks. With her family, Ann lives up in the corner of Washington State, where she regularly walks the hills above Bellingham Bay and looks out over the San Juan Islands, the setting for her latest novel, an old-fashioned mystery saga called MORLAND COVE.

1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion
1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War
1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State
1972: A Novel of Ireland’s Unfinished Revolution
1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace

Morgan Llywelyn has proved herself a force in historical fiction with her novels of in the Irish Century series. In Only the Stones Survive, she looks back to the ancient legend of Ireland’s gods and goddesses. For centuries the Túatha Dé Danann lived in peace on an island where time flowed more slowly and the seasons were gentle–until that peace was shattered by the arrival of invaders. The Gaels, the Children of Milesios, came looking for easy riches and conquest, following the story of an island to the west where their every desire could be granted. They had not anticipated that it would already be home to others, and against the advice of their druids, they begin to exterminate the Túatha Dé Danann.

After a happy and innocent childhood, Joss was on the cusp of becoming a man when the Gaels slaughtered the kings and queens of the Túatha Dé Danann. Left without a mother and father, he must find a way to unite what is left of his people and lead them into hiding. But even broken and scattered, Joss and his people are not without strange powers.

Morgan Llywelyn weaves Irish mythology, historical elements, and ancient places in the Irish landscape to create a riveting tale of migration, loss, and transformation in Only the Stones Survive.

Morgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.